Gasholder



.29, 1.9316.' J. A. MASON 2,065,297'

1 GASHOLDER Filed June so, 19,52 5 sheds-.sheet 1 Mag/.i

ma@ M Gttomegs.

D. 29, J. A. MASN n GASHOLDER Filed June 50, 1932 5 Sheets-Sh-eet 2 IDec. 29, 1936.

J. A. MASON 'GAsHoLDER Filed June 30, 193?.Y

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 J. A. MASON Dec. 29, 1936.

GASHOLDER Filed June 30, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Gftornegs.

Patented 'Dec'. 29s,' 1936v dSTA'if-gs,

NPATENT ori-ICE N .GASHOLDER John A. Mason, Baltimore, Md., .assignon bymes'ne assignments, to Koppers Company, a l corporation of Delaware lApplication June 3o, 1932, serial No. 620,244 claims. r(ci. 4s-m) Thisinvention pertains to gas holders and more particularly to that typecommonly known as waterless holders. Such type j-'of holders are shownin' Letters Patent-to Jagschitz Number 1'5 tend inwardly of the shell itbecomes necessary to employ'special sealing means between them and thepiston closure. Again, means is provided,

- especially in large holders, to prevent the sealing liquid from owingaround in the usual trough 2o or gutter'surrounding the closure to oneside thereof. Guiding rollers are also commonly employed.

With the present invention a number of outside tanks may be done awa'ywith, as well as 25 corresponding pumps .and pipes, and in place thereofthere is mounted upon the piston-like closure a centrally disposedreservoiror tank from which the sealing uid passes to the -trough orgutter. Such tank, together with the liquid therein acts in a measure,atleast, to weight the piston.

Temperature changes have a marked eiTect upon a holder and the sealingmedium. Where the sealing iluid, 'such as tamis fed, as' at present,

to the upper end ofthe shell and flows down the inner face thereoftheftar will have a tendency to congeal or stiften, if the surface iscold, where' as if the surface is hot, the light oils of the tar will bedriven ofi. So too, the tar within thetrough is subject to" variationsin temperature at diierent points or areas in the circumference of thetank. ,v

By the employment of a tank as above specied, from which pipes orconduits extend to the I gutter or trough which surrounds the piston,the

bulk of the sealing liquid is held in storage, so-to speak, remote fromthe walls of the shell and is, thereforavnot subject to the temperaturevariations which exist throughout the wall of the shell or at diiferentportions thereof. This is' particu- 'Further-more," by 'connecting"wardly, to the surrounding gutter or trough.

posed reservoir with thetrough by a plurality of pipes a'ilow of sealingliquid will obtain around the trough and through the pipes, therebyhaving a tendencyto equalize the temperature-of the sealing liquidthroughout the system.

Instead of employing shell-columns, guiding ,rollers, and the like, tomaintain the piston-like closure in centralized position with referenceto the shelll and to prevent tipping pr canting thereof, there arepresent one or more vertically disposed guiding columns which passthrough suitable bearings or guideways carried by the piston.

Again, the sealing liquid is pumped to the upper portion of the holderand 'distributed upon the upper part of a vertically disposed column;flowing downward thereover; lubricating the same,

and the cooperative sealing means .carried by the piston; and finallyowing into the centrally disposed tank or reservoir from which it flowsout- With these and other objects in View, reference will be had to th'eaccompanying drawings wherein:

l Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of a gas holderembodying my invention;

Fig. 2, an enlarged horizontal sectional view of a portion of theholder'showing the sealing means and allied parts, the section beingtaken on the line II-II of Figure 1; 1

Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view taken on the line III-UI of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a perspective view illustrating the trough construction whichencircles the piston closure and the allied rubbing bars;

Fig. 5, a transverse vertical sectional view illustrative of the mannerinA which the trough is formed;

Fig. 6, a perspective view of the adjacent ends of two of the rubbingbars; Y Y

Fig. 7, a perspective view of two of the elements which enter into thetrough construction;

Fig. 8, a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale showing thecentrally disposed column, the centrally disposed tank, lthe guiding andsealing means employed between the column and the varioussurroundingelements, and likewise the means for causing the sealingliquid which passes downwardly over the outer surface of the guldingcolumn to be gathered and finally passed to the centrally Idisposed tankor reservoir;

Fig. 9, a vertical sectional view of the upper distributor employed forreceiving the sealing liquid and directing it onto the outer surface ofthe guiding column;

Fig. 10, a horizontal sectional view taken on the line X-X of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11, a perspective view of a portion of the shell, the piston, thetrough, -a portion of the rubbing bars, and the means employed forpreventing relative rotative movement of said bars with reference to thepiston and trough;

Fig. l2, a detail perspective view with parts broken away showing onemanner of forming the shell of the holder;

Fig. 13, a perspective view of a portion of the means femployed toprevent relative rotative movement of the rubbing b ars with referenceto the piston; and

Fig. 14, a horizontal sectional view showing a plurality of iixedguiding elements associated with the piston closure, the latter beingbroken away.

In the drawings (Figs. 1 to 13), III denotes the shell of the holder asa whole, the shell being circular in cross section and preferablyproducedl from a plurality of plates welded or riveted together andlikewise secured to a plurality of vertical columns. Such a structure isbest shown in Figs. 11 and 12 whereinl II indicates the plates, each ofwhich is provided at its upper and lower ends with outwardly extendinganges I2 and I3. The upper flange I2 of eachplate is preferably widerthan the lower ange I3 and both of said flanges terminate short of theside edges of the plates so as to permit the plates to pass over andagainst the inner face of vertically disposed columns |4 and thevertical or side edges of the plates to abut or stand in close spacedrelation.

The plates are curved to such a radius that when assembled they willproduce a shell of the desired diameter. of the body of each plate,where it merges into the flanges I2 and I3, is slightly rounded,the'

purpose of which will presently appear.

The plates 'are temporarily secured to each other, and to the innerflange of the I-beam co1- umns I4, by rivets I5 widely spaced as shownin Figs. 11, 12 and 2 and the various parts are electrically weldedalong and about the various edges or marginal portions and along thejoints produced by the adjacent curved or rounded portions justmentioned, the welding being denoted generally by I6. By theconstruction thus described there will be produced on the inner face ofthe shell a series of seams, as at II, extending entirely around theshell. The surface of these seams may be depressed slightly withreference to the inner'faceof the shell by proper manipulation of thewelding apparatus.. 'I'hese depressions coact with the lsealing meansand the liquid sealing medium to properly lubricate the inner face ofthe shell in a manner shortly to -be described.

The provision of the flanges |2 and 'I3 on the plates, and making theformer wider and longer, facilitates the welding of such parts. So too,the flanges, in addition to facilitating the jointure of the plates,materialy strengthen the shell as a whole as they produce in effect aseries of spaced ribs which extend circumferentially of the exterior ofthe shell, interrupted only by the vertical column I4, while theconstruction of the shell, as above described, has been foundadvantageous, still the invention is not limited thereto as any shellwhich is circular in cross section may be utilized. A

The piston closure may be said to comprise a main body I8 having acentrally disposed tank lor reservoir 9 while at the outer edge of themain body I8 there is secured a downwardly extending plate 20, which atits lower portion is curved outwardly, forming a shelf-like memberSuitable angle irons 22 (see more particularly Fig. 11) are'embodied inthe upper portion of the piston-likestructure and serve to stiien thesame. Structural elements,- shown in the present instance as I beamsdenoted by 23, are secured to the elements 2U and extend downwardlybelow the shelf 2|, the lower ends thereof servil ls legs toproperlyfsupport the piston when in it! lowermost position, as shown inFig. l.

A pair of inclined braces 24 and 25 extend downwardly from the head ofthe piston, and preferably from beneath the elements 22,V and at theirlower ends extend outwardly and beneath the shelf-like member 2 I.

An angle lplate 26 is secured to the shelf-like member 2| and likewiseto the member 20 where these parts merge into one another and a similarangle plate 21 is secured to the braces 24, 25 and to the adjacentflanges of the vertically disposed I beam 23. This arrangement producesa rigid structure throughout, affording suiiicient stability to thepiston and to the outwardly extending shelf 2l. It will of course beappreciated that any suitable bracing may be employed for thepiston-like closure.

Ihe shelf-like element 2I- is designed to form one portion of the bottomof a trough which extends circumferentially of the piston and isconnected to the reservoir I9 by a plurality of pipes 9. These pipesextend from the lower portion of the reservoir I9 and consequently the'sealing liquid within the trough will always be The upper and lowerportion maintained at the same level as the liquid in the reservoir.

Secured to the under Aface of the shelf 2| (see Fig. 5), and adjacentthe outer edge thereof, is an angle'plate 28. To the upper face of theshelf 2|, and inward of the edge thereof, there is secured an angleplate 29 to the upper portion of which there is attached the inner por-`tion of a flexible fabric member 30. This'member overlies a woodenelement 3| secured to the upper face of the shelf 2|, the member 3|supporting a portion of the member 3II which dlrectly overlies the sameand holds it out of contact with the metal shelf 2| which mightotherwise tend to abrade it as relative movement takes place between theparts in-the up and down movement of the piston. As above noted, themember 30, together with the shelf 2| and upstanding member 20 formed atrough'for the reception of the sealing liquid and as a con- -sequenc'ethe outer portion of the fabric member 30 extends upwardly and issecured in the following manner to a sectional rubbing bar 32.

The fabric at its upper edge is folded upon itself and over a flange 33extending upwardly from a rounded body 34, the parts being formed fromsheet metal bent to form, as best shown in Fig. 7.

A plate 35 is secured against the downturned upper portion ofthe.fabric. The parts are held in place by bolts which pass through therubbing bar, the fabric, the upstanding ange 33 and the plate 35. Inscertain instances where -parts of the mechanism employed to move therubbing bar 32 outwardly into facewise contact with the inner face ofthe shell are present, the bolts likewise pass through such elements.One of such elements, or a bracket 36, is shown in Fig.

5 with the securing bolt passing through all of 75 'and through therubbingbar4 32 and likewise through Spacer blocks 31 interposed betweenthe bracket and the rubbing bar.: In this way a gutter is formed by thedownwardly. extending element 28 andthe exible fabric member 30. Themember 34, of which there will be a continuous series around the rubbingbars,will hold the fabric out of contact with the inner'face of theshell as well as out of contact with the rubbing bar so that it will notbe subjectedfto wear and will last almost indenitely. .l

The'rubbing bars 32 are so contoured and of such length as to make aclose t with the interior surface of the shell. Each bar at'o'ne end isprovided with projections 38, 39 (see more particularly Figs. 4 and 6)thus producing an intermediate space'or recess 49, the latter being ofsuch size as to receive a tongue 4I upon the opposite end of an adjacentbar.

The vertical edges of the rubbing bars are beveled or inclined, theinclination of the bevel.

of the tongue preferably being the reverse of the inclination on the endfaces of the projections 38 and 39. 'I'he complemental faces upon thevarious bars are of course reversely inclined so that as the endsaof thebars come together a :slightl wedging action is produced. To maintainthe ends-of the bars in proper alignment, one of the sections may beprovided with a pair of outwardly extending lugs or fingers 42 and 43which cooperate with suitable retaining blocks 44 and 45.

-The elements or bracketsA 36 are arranged in pairs around and about thestructure. Each bracket is provided in the upper portion thereof with anarcuate slot 46 (see Fig. 4). Into each of said slots extends a bar orrod 41 carried by a lever 48 fulcrumed upon a shaft 49 mounted in thebrackets 36. The levers 48. at their upper ends extend rearwardly andare provided with adjustable weights 50. The levers 48 arear- Y rangedin pairs (see Fig. 2) and'are interconnected by a rod or bar 5I whichilnds its bearings in the lower end. of brackets 52 secured to andextending downwardly and outwardly from the-upper portion of the piston:'I'hese weightedv levers, acting through the`brackets. force the rubbingbars outwardly into close facewise 'contact with the inner face` of theshell and tend to hold them in such position at all times.

In order to prevent relative rotative movement of the piston withreference to the rubbing bars and the placing ofy undue strain upon thefabric 3l, means is provided for holding the rubbing bars against suchrelative movement with reference to the piston. To this end there issecured to the rubbing bar a block 53 having an outwardly projectingstud or finger 54 `(see more particularly Figs. 3, l1 and 13). Securedto the downwardly extending element 2n.of the piston and opposite theblock 53 is an angle. iron 55 which forms the support for achannel-shaped bracket 56 (see more particularlyFigs. 3 and 11) in theouter end of which is mounted a shaft or rod 51.

clined so that the arms will have'a fair bearing against the block 53.

Inasmuch as the bracket 56 and the allied J low the main structure orbody of the piston I6.

Extending from the foundation of the holder upwardly to the-roofstructure, which latter is designated generally by 62, and secured tothe beams thereof, is a vertically disposed column 63. This column isdesigned to guide and centralize the piston with reference to the shell.It becomes essential, of course, to seal said piston with reference tothe column and to that end liquid sealing means is employed.

Mounted centrally 4,of the'tank and extending' 'downwardly therethroughis an annular sleeve or cylinder 64, open at its lower end and adapted,when the piston is in its lowermost position and supported upon the Ibeams 23 asin Fig. 1, to form a dip seal with the liquid within thereservoir 65 located immediately below the member 64. The reservoir 65is connected by a plurality of pipes 66 (Fig. l) with an annular gutter61 which extends around the base of the holderv within the shell.

'I'he member 64 khas a collar 68 secured to its upper end, which latteris bolted -to a ange 6,9

extending outwardly from a sleeve 18. v'I'he bolts for securing theparts together also pass through laterally extending flanges of thebeams 22 heretofore referred to.

Mounted and held within the lower end of the sleeve 10 by welding is acast steel ring 12, the

yinterior face whereof is grooved, tlhe face having slight clearancewithv reference to the column 63.

v Mounted within the upperportion of the sleeve 18 above the ring is anannular rubbing shoe 13 preferably made up of segmental pieces and heldin place by a packing ring 14 having an upwardly extending annularmember 15 in which are mounted a plurality of packing rings 16 held inplace by a gland 11.

reference to the shoe 13 by bolts 18 which extend through a angeprojecting outwardly from the' ring and through asimilar flange 19formed on the'upper part of the member 10.

Mounted upon the member 19 is a tank 80 designed to be iilledwith'sealing liquid. An overflow pipe -8I extends from the upper portionof this tank and terminates in the main supply tank I9.` located abovethe tank 8 0 is a cup 82 which receives the sealing liquid which passesdown- The ring 14, as willxbe seenupon reference to Fig. 8, is drawn toposition with wardly over the outer surface of the column 63. A'

Said cup is attached to and/supported by a sleeve or cylindrical element83 which in turn is secured" to various bracing elements 84 forming apartof 'the bracing for the piston roof.

Within. the cylindrical element 83 is mounted a sealingring 85 similarto the ring 12 and sim` ilarly grooved. Loated above it is a rubbing YSealing liquid will of course, as in theJagschitz hates at a levelsomewhat above lthe ring Il, ex-

tends from the cup 82 into tank 80.

The structure just described, to wit, the members 10, 13, 14 and 15,form one bearing for the piston; while the members l5, 86 and 81 form asecond bearing. Thesebearings stand in spaced relation vertically ofeach other, and tend to prevent tipping or canting of the piston exceptto a slight degree.

Suspended from the roof structure is a receptacle 88, shown as annularin outline, provided with an upstanding collar 89 spaced away from theexterior of the column 63 (see more particularly Fig. 9). The collar 89is provided, adjacent its lower end, with a series of openings 90 andthe lower wall of the receptacle 8l is also provided with a series ofopenings 9|, which latter, conjointly with the openings 9B, allow thesealing liquid to pass from the receptacle 88 onto the exterior of thecolumn.

Overflow pipes 92 extend through the bottom of the receptacle and areinclined so that their lower open ends will discharge any sealing liquidpxaissing therethrough directly onto the column 6 Sealing liquid is, asis usual, pumped from a tanlf;l or reservoir, indicated by 93 (Fig. 1),and passes upwardly through a pipe 94 into a lateral 95 which terminatesin a short section 96. 'Ihis section discharges into the receptacle 88.'I'he pump (not shown) will of course only be operated for a period oftime suilicient to fill the cup 82, the tank 80, the main reservoir ortank I9, and the gutter surrounding the piston. rIt will then be stoppeduntil the level of the sealing liquid within the reservoir Il, andconsequently in the gutter, falls below a point where the liquid willnot longer function with the rubbing bars, at which time the pump willof course have to be again brought into operation.

The rubbing bars will of course function with the sealing liquid toeffectively seal the piston against the escape of gas around thecircumference of the piston. The various sealing elements heretoforedescribed `for effecting a gas-tight' luxnn and the packing elementsassociated withsaid tank and. cup are in a sense submerged within thesealing liquid.

While the sealing elements for effecting a tight joint between thecolumn andpiston have been described somewhat invdetail, it is notintended thereby to limit the invention to any such structure but toinclude broadly any sealing means, and primarily liquid sealing means,between the piston and column.

' patent heretofore referred to, seep down between l be drawn oi! fromthe gutter i1 through suitable offtake devices which form no part of thepresent invention and which are'shown diagrammatically and designated by91 (Fig. 1).

spaans? element 6I passes into the liquidlin sealing relation therewith.As a consequence, no gas can pass upwardly around the column nor aroundthe edge of the piston, and workmen are free to move over the uppersurface or elements of the pistonlike closure and readjust or repair thevertically separated bearing members, heretofore described. In fact,there is no necessity of evacuating the gas which may be entrapped belowthe piston when it comes to its lowermost position: a condition which sofar as I am aware is not true of any other holder. Such evacuationfrequently takes considerable time, and .as will be readily appreciatedby those skilled in the art, an admixture of air and gas below thepiston' is a dangerous condition.

It is thought that from the foregoing theoper ation of the structurewill be readily understood but a brief rsum may be given. Initially,sealingliquid will be forced through the pipe ll, l5

into the receptacle Il, passing downwardly overl the exterior of thecolumn into the cup I2. The column is thus lubricated and the sealingliquid, after filling the Vcup to the desired degree, will pass into thesealing tank Il from which it will ultimately flow into the mainreservoir or tank I9. From this it flows through the pipes l into thegutter and when the desired level is reached, which may be readilydetermined by a suitable indicating mechanism (not shown), the pump isstopped. Inasmuch as the bulk-,of the liquid in the reservoir I! standsat a level above the upper edge of the rubbing bars or shoes, the gutterI with said rubbing bars or shoes for a considerable period of time and,as previously noted, this does away with the frequent stopping andstarting of the pumpsas in prior structures.

As the piston Vmoves upwardly and over vthe seams formedlbetween theedges of the plates, a certain amount of the sealing liquid (tar, heavyoil, and the like) will be entrapped and, as a consequence, when therubbing bars pass the seam the entrapped liquid will be released andwill ilow down the inner face of the shell. In this way the innersurface of the shell may be said to be lubricated, which of courseassists the free movement of the piston in its descent.

While the'constructionemploying the column and reservoir or storage tankhas been described in some detail, it is to be understood that in itsgeneric sense the invention is not limited thereto. Thus. for instance,it is conceiyablethat a large storage reservoir may be mounted upon orbuilt into the piston closure and employed to supply the gutter withsealing iluid;-and thiswithout the necessity of the central- 'guidingcolumn. In other words, such a centralized reservoir could, withadvantage, be employed with structures such as shown in the patent toJagschita above mentloned,-the tank being recharged from time to time asoccasion required. It would of course do `away withl the draw-backs thatinhere with the discharge of the sealing liquid or fluid directly ontothe shell as well as other disadvantages.

Instead of a single centrally disposed vcolumn ,'15

- a plurality of guiding columns may be lemployed.

Thus, in Fig. 14 three columns 63, 63" and 63 are shown as extendingupwardly through a tank IS carried by the pistonclosure. Said columnswill of course have .the necessary sealing means associated therewith.

This application is a continuation in part of my application ledOctober9, 1931, ySerial No. 567,946. v

VWhat is claimed is:

1. In a waterleSs gas holder,'the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure therein; at least one vertically disposed column located withinthe shell and extending through the closure, said column serving toguide and stabilize the closure in its movements; a -reservoir carriedby the closure for storing a liquid sealing vmedium; sealing meansbetween the column and closure; sealing means between the closure andthe inner surface of the shell; and means connecting the reservoir withsaid last named 'sealing means, said reservoir and sealing means beingso posi- 'tioned with reference to each other as to maintain a commonlevel of the sealing mediumv therein.

2. A gas holder as set forth in claim 1 wherein the last named sealingmeans includes a series .0f rubbing bars contacting the inner face ofthe shell; vand a gutter for the sealing liquid located intermediate theclosure and the bars.

3. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; asubstantially non-yielding or rigid piston-like closure therefor; arigid column ex of a shell; a piston-like closure therefor; a seriesl ofrubbing bars; a gutter interposed between said bars and said closure andconnected thereto;

means for forcing the bars outwardly into facewise contact with.' theshell; a rigid column ex# tending upwardly through the piston; areservoir for sealing liquid located centrally of the pisto saidreservoir being located lin substantially` the same horizontal plane asthat of the gutter; at least one conduit extending from said reservoiroutwardly and opening into the gutter; and means for eecting a gas-tightseal-between the piston and the column.

5. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure therefor; a rigid column extending upwardly through the piston;

a reservoir located centrally of the piston and surrounding the column;means carried by the piston for producing a gas-tight joint between thesame and the column; means involving the use of a liquid for sealing thepiston with reference to the shell; means extending from the reservoirto said last named sealing m`eans; and means for pumping a sealing uidto the upper portion of thel shell and causing it to ow onto 'theexterior of the column.

6. In a waterle'ss gas holder, the combination with a cylindrical shell;a piston-like closure therefor; sealing 'means interposed between thepiston and the inner face of the shell; and means acting independentlyof the sealing means'forpreventing rotative movement of' the sealingmeans with reference to the piston, whereby the piston and sealing meanswill be caused to move in unison upon rotative movement of saidpartswithin the shell and the sealing means,l held against distortion.

7. In a waterls gas holder, 4the combination forming a gutter inconjunction with said bar and piston; a plurality of rounded bodieshaving upwardly extending' anges, over which anges the adjacent edge ofthe fabric member is folded; and means for securing said members to therubbing bar, whereby the fabric member will be held out of contact withthe shell.. A

8. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a. shell; yapiston-like closure therefor; a rubbing bar located'outwardly of thepiston; means for forcing said bar against the inner face of the shell;a gutter interposed between the bar and the circumference of the piston;a reservoir carried at the center of the piston; a xed column extendingupwardly through the shell and 2.5

through the piston; a sleeve extending downwardly through the reservoirand sealed with reference thereto and standing in spaced relation to thecolumn; a tank located above the piston;

' packing submerged within the tank and'coacting with the column; anoveriiow pipe extending from said tank to the reservoir; a cup locatedabove the tank and surrounding the column; packing carried by said cupand coacting with the column; an overflow pipel extending from the cupto the tank; means for supplying a sealing liquid to the outer face ofthe column. at its upper end; and at least one pipe extending from thelower portion of the reservoir outwardly to and communicating with thegutter.

9. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure mounted therein; means for sealing said piston with referencetothe she1l; a vertically disposed` column extending upwardlythrough thepiston; means for securing a gas-tight seal between the piston and thecolumn; a sleevev extending downwardly below the piston, said sleevestanding in spaced relation to the column; a gutter extendingaround thebase of the shell; a reservoir located at the center of the'holder andinto which the sleeve may pass when the piston is in its lowermostposition; and at least one conduit connecting the gutter and thereservoir.

10. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure therefor; a storage tank for a uent sealing medium 4locatedcentrally of -said closure; sealing means interposed between the closureand the inner face of the shell and involving the presence of suchiluent sealing medium to render it eiective, .said tank and sealingmeans lying in a common plane;

' and at least' one conduit extending from the tank to said sealingmeans, whereby a relatively large reserve body of fluent sealing mediumis maintained within the holder and frequent renewals thereof areavoided.

11. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a. shell; apiston-like closure mounted within the shell;- a column extendingvertically within the shell and through the piston-like member;

vertically spaced bearings carried by the piston- 'like member, saidbearings contacting the column at separated points above the piston-likemember and serving to stabilize the piston within the shell; sealingmeans interposed between the shell and the edge of the piston,"saidmeans being provided with pressure-devices positively impelling thesealing periphery of the closure into contact with the inner wall of theshell vand acting `independently of the main body of the pistonlikeclosure; and means for feeding a sealing medium to the bearingsaforesaid and to the sealingmeans between the piston and the shell.

12. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure mounted within the shell; a column extending vertically withinthe shell and through the piston-like member; a plurality of verticallyspaced bearings carried by the piston-like member above the same, saidbearings contacting the column at separated points, and the lowermostbearing being a combined gas-seal and guide; sealing means interposedbetween the shell and the edge of the piston; and means for lubricatingthe bearings, and

likewise lubricating the sealing means for thepiston-like member andshell.

13. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure therefor; a reservoir for sealing material located centrally ofthe piston-like closure; a column extending lupwardly through the holderand passing through4 the reservoir; means for placing the iluid sealingmedium upon the upper portion of the column; sealing means surroundingthe piston-like closure; and means extending from the reservoir to saidlast-named sealing means, to conduct the sealing fluid thereto.`

14. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure mounted within the shell and free to move up anddown accordingto the pressure of the gas beneath the same; a column extendingvertically. within the shell and through the piston-like member; meansfor sealing the piston-like closure against the escape of gas with-reference lto the shell; means for placing the fluid sealing mediumupon the upper portion of the column; and a bearing carried by thepiston-like member and cooperating with the column, said bearing beinglocated above the upper face of the piston-like closure and sealedagainst the passage of gas by the fluid sealing medium.

15. A gas holder as set forth in claim 14, wherein a reservoir is placedcentrally of the'pistonlike member, said reservoir being substantiallyv.on a level with the sealing means for the piston and communicatingtherewith through at least one pipe or conduit.

16. In a waterless gas holder, in combination:

an outer shell enclosing the gas-space; a rigid center column extendingfrom the base of the holder to thej top thereof; a rigid piston-like toguide it upon and support it in respecto! the v center-column andindependently of the shell, said guide-members being located outside ofand above the gas-space vand accessible from the upper side of theclosure structure without communication with the gas-space, the lower ofsaid guide members acting as a combined gas-seal and guide.

17. In a waterless gas holder, in combination: an outer shell enclosing'the -gas-space; a rigid center-column extending from the base to the topof the holder; a piston-like closure structure covering the gas-spaceand adapted to rise and fall in sealed gas-tight relation with the outerl,

shell and the center-column; and vertically widely disposedguide-members adapted to maintain the substantial horizontality andequilibrium of the closure structure and to guide it upon and support itin respect of the center-column and independently of the shell, saidguide-members being located outside of and above the gas-space andaccessible from the upper side of the closure structure without,communication with the gasspace, and the'lower one of said guide-membersbeing a combined gas-seal and guide; the sealing means between theclosure structure and the shell and column comprising substantiallycontinuous contact members and a mobile sealing medium and means forsupplying such medium at the sliding surfaces ofthe closure structure.

18. In a waterless gas-holder, in combination: an outer shell enclosingthe gas-space; a center column; a piston-like closure structure coveringthe gas-space and adapted to rise and fall in sealed gas-tight relationwith the outer shell and the center-column; guide-members adapted tomaintain the substantial horizontality and equilibrium of the closurestructure and to guide it upon and support it in respect of the centercolumn and independently of the shell, said guide-members being ing suchmedium at the sliding surfaces of the closure structure; and means forsupplementally sealing the lclosure structure centrally at the bottom ofits travel, to permit ydetachment of the contact member around thecenter column without discharging the gas-space under the closurestructure.y

19. In a waterless gas holder, the combination of a shell; a piston-likeclosure therefor; at least one vertically disposed column within theshell, said column passing through the closure; means for effecting aseal between said column and the closure; .a :duid sealing means betweenthe shell and the closure; means for conducting sealing iiuid-to thecolumn; and means for gathering fluid from the column and conducting thesame to the sealing means.

20. A waterless gas holder as set forth in claim 19, wherein the 'fluidsealing means is caused to ilow exteriorly of the column over theguiding portion thereof.

21. In a waterless gas holder, the combina-- tion'of a shell; apiston-like closure therein; means for sealing the closure withreference to the shell; a tank carrledby the shell; a ilxed columnextending upwardly throughthe tank; a series' of shoes bearing againstthel column at a point within the lower portion of the tank; -means forurging said shoes into facewise contact with the column; and means forsupplying a sealing medium to the tank.

22. In a waterless. gas holder, the combination of a shell; apiston-like closure therefor; at least 'one vertically disposed columnwithin the shell, said column through the closure: means for eiflfectinga seal between said column andthe closure; a fluid sealing means betweenthe shell and the closure; means for conducting u vertically widelydisposedsealing uid to the upper portion ofthe column; 'a reservoircarried by the closure for gathering such fluid as it flows down thecolumn; and at least one conduit extending from the reservoir to themeans for effecting the seal between the closure and the shell.

23. In a gas holder, a holder shell of the type employing therein avertically translatable piston in sealing engagement with thewallfthereof, said shell comprising a framework, plates arrangedon the-inner surfaces of the framework to form the shell proper, said platesinitially positioned and supported on the framework for constituting theshell wall by means of pegs, said pegs integrated with the plates andengaged through the framework, and welds integrating the peg supportedand positioned plates with the framework.

24. In a gas holder, a holder shell, said shell adapted to receive apiston vertically translatable therein in sealing engagement with thewall thereof, said shell comprising a framework and plates arranged onthe inner surfaces of the framework to form the shell proper, saidplates including studs projecting outwardly therefrom through theelements of the framework and havving heads on their exterior ends forpreventing velements and with'each other.

inward displacement of the plates and holding the same tightly againstthe framework, said studs initially placed through the elements and themargins of the plates and integrated with the plates, and means sealingthe joints of the plates with the framework.

25. In a gas holder a holder shell of the type employing therein avertically translatable piston in sealing engagement with the wallthereof, said shell comprising frame elements of upright beam columnshaving flanges disposed with their inner surfaces alignedcircumferentially, plates arranged on the inner surfaces of the frameelements to form the shell proper, means for securing the plates to theframe elements, said means being comprised both of sparsely d istributedsecuring means comprising widely spaced rivets and of continuousmarginal securing means comprising welds substantially completelysecuring the plates along and about the various edges and marginalportions of the parts'constituting the shell wall, said rivetsintegrated with said plates and engaged through the frame elements, andsaid welds integrating the rivet supported and positioned plates withthe frame JOHN A. MASON.

